Tabletop
Board Game Night Playlist: Superhero Games
Whether it be on the silver screen, Saturday morning cartoons, or lunchboxes, superheroes have existed outside of the comic book pages for almost as long as they’ve existed. I, for one, knew of Spider-Man and the X-Men first from their cartoon exploits, while my first real exposure to Batman was from the Michael Keaton movie back in 1989. Superheroes have also had a presence in the board game space for decades, though the vast majority of these efforts were shoddy cash grabs.
Some of the modern superhero games still are poor titles that are excuses to make a quick buck, though both DC and Marvel have made honest efforts to improve their board game portfolios to the point where they both have games that are great by any measure. If you’re in the mood to live the superhero experience in tabletop gaming form, try these ones out!
Carcassonne Review
Pandemic for iOS Review
Pandemic on iOS is a direct adaptation of the board game with the same name. In it, players must work together to contain and cure four deadly viruses before they ravage the world. As daunting as it sounds, this is one of my favourite board games thanks to how tense the action always is and how it requires players to work as a team versus competing against one another.
I know the game has been available on iPad for quite some time. However, I do most of my digital board gaming on my iPhone, so a purchase on iPad wouldn’t be worth it for me. That is, until recently, when the app was finally updated with iPhone support. Now that I have it, is this a worth port of a fantastic board game?
Board Gaming on Mobile Devices
I fell out of love with mobile gaming ages ago. What once was a platform full of potential has degraded into a free-to-play money grab for the likes of Farmville, Candy Crush Saga and Clash of Clans. For those of you that like those kinds of games, that’s great. However, the types of games and the business models that drive them no longer appeal to my gaming sensibilities. At this point, my final vestige of mobile gaming comes from digital adaptations of analog board games.
Dead of Winter Added to the List of Awesome Board Games You Should Play
Dead of Winter is an insanely popular game in my neck of the woods. Retailers here make big announcements every time it’s in stock, only for the game to sell out minutes later. I was lucky enough to snag one online at 2am a little while ago and have been loving the game since.
This is basically the best Walking Dead board game out there. It captures so much of the action, drama and intrigue that make the show great in a game that is always fun and exciting to play. In particular, players who love games with stories or themes are really going to get a kick out of this one. Games aren’t guaranteed to stay on my awesome list forever, though I don’t this one leaving any time soon. Congratulations Dead of Winter!
Check out the full list of Awesome Board Games You Should Play!
Dead of Winter Review
Things aren’t looking good for you and your fellow colony members. Supplies are running low. The bitterly cold weather puts everyone at risk of catching frostbite. Tensions are running high, as you’re never sure of who your real allies are. Oh yeah, and there are zombies everywhere. Welcome to Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game.
Legendary: Guardians of the Galaxy Review
Marvel’s ragtag group of intergalactic heroes finally make their presence felt in Legendary: Guardians of the Galaxy. Inside this small box expansion, you’ll get the five protagonists from the movie, two new villain groups, two new masterminds, and the introduction of the most dramatically new gameplay mechanics since the game’s inception. They may be the stars of 2014’s biggest movie, but can they also hold their weight as an expansion for Marvel’s deck-building game?
Board Game Night Playlist: Trip to Japan
I need to go to Japan someday. My love of video games and anime were my introduction to the Land of the Rising Sun, though I’ve grown to become fascinated with almost every facet of the country. Didn’t realize it until just now, but Japan also is a thematic hot bed for board games. I only chose three for this list, though there are a ton of great games that use Japan as a backdrop. Let’s hop on a plane and check out this month’s Japan-themed Board Game Night Playlist!
The Numbers Game
Ticket to Ride was my introduction to the genre of German-style board games, which you may also know as designer board games or Eurogames. There are a number of factors that differentiate Eurogames from traditional western games like Monopoly or Risk, such as the general lack of player elimination and an emphasis on strategy over luck. In particular, the thing that differentiates Eurogames to me is the concept of resource management. For instance, in Ticket to Ride, you’re tasked with managing your tickets, route cards and the unclaimed routes on the board in a way that gets you the most points. Some of my favourite games of this style besides the aforementioned include Power Grid, Last Will and Tokaido.
In general, I’ve grown pretty fond of this style of game. I like the fact that these games generally keep everyone involved throughout and how interesting it can be to manage your resources within the confines of each game’s economic system. When those economic systems are paired up with a great theme that makes sense with the actions you’re performing, the results can be spectacular. On the other hand, when the theme isn’t there and the core mechanics aren’t enjoyable enough on their own, these games devolve into the chore of managing spreadsheets.
In Third Person 